Antawn Jamison Says Michael Jordan Could Average 10 or 11 Points Per Game Right Now

It’s a question that’s always fun to ask: If Michael Jordan magically returned to the NBA today, at age 49 (50 as of next week), how well would he do? In Antawn Jamison’s opinion, not too bad—the Lakers forward believes MJ would be good for 10-to-11 points per game. Via ESPN Los Angeles: “Michael Jordan has been retired from the NBA for a decade, but he warned at his Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2009 not to count him out from making one last comeback. ‘One day you might look up and see me playing the game at 50,’ Jordan said near the close of his speech, eliciting laughter from the crowd in Springfield, Mass. ‘Oh, don’t laugh. Never say never. Because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.’ Jordan turns 50 in about a week on Feb. 17. What would happen if he traded in his ownership stake in the Charlotte Bobcats for one more chance to lace up his Air Jordans in the league? Could he do it? ‘I wouldn’t doubt that in the right situation with a LeBron (James) on his team or with a Kobe (Bryant) on this team, he could get you about 10 or 11 points, come in and play 15-20 minutes,’ said Antawn Jamison before the Lakers played the Bobcats on Friday. ‘I wouldn’t doubt that at all, especially if he was in shape and injuries were prevented and things of that nature.’ That’s saying a lot, considering Jamison has Bryant on his team, and only averages 8.1 points per game in 20.5 minutes per game and he’s ‘only’ 36 years old. Jordan averaged 20.0 points in 37.0 minutes per game in his 15th and final season in the league before retiring for good at age 40. ‘He wasn’t joking,’ said Jamison of Jordan’s declaration at the HOF ceremony. ‘You hear stories still to this day, especially last year, him going to the practice facility and playing 1-on-1 with the guys and still they can’t stop him.'”